Wednesday, 17 February 2016

GOD'S PILLS 2016 : CAPSULE 7

THE BLESSING OF THE LORD: BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVOURED (Part 3)

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:52‬ ‭KJV‬‬

I would like to wrap up BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVOURED in this capsule, my intention is to bring two things that are usually ignored to your attention and by the grace of God they will encourage and put some balance to your knowledge. These things are not mere theory, they are not what you just try, you have to believe and live it. I never allow anybody to talk me down, everywhere I go, I expect goodness and mercy to follow me as a matter of course; why you ask? Because I am blessed and Highly Favoured! Like anybody I meet with obstacles in life, situations that appear difficult, and unpalatable. But I always know they won't last; why? Because I am blessed and highly favoured (1 John 4:4).

To kick off this capsule, as promised I will provide you with a working definition of favour which I think encapsulates what we have discussed so far.

Definition: Favour is the supernatural preference amongst many or to be singled out for undeserved honour.

It is one thing to know that you are blessed of the Lord and be ready to draw on it by faith, we need the stage or opportunity to present itself. With this in mind what it means is that God has not only blessed us, He has provided the opportunity for the blessing to flourish. Consider this, Mary was not the only virgin in Israel but she was blessed and highly favoured that made all the difference. Daniel knew he was blessed with the gift of solving enigmas but all he needed was the outlet. In Daniel chapter 1:7, he made up his mind and decided to challenge the blessings in him, see what happened in verse 8

“Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.”

You will see this over and over, favour broke the protocol of the Laws of Medes and Persia for Esther, Joseph found favour with Potiphar, Keeper of the prison and Pharaoh, Jacob with Laban, just to list a few. Favour will set the stage for your blessings to shine, make you look good without trying. Everybody needs favour even the Lord Jesus in His earthly walk. What you probably don't know is that favour can grow or gain momentum .

Luke 2:52 says, 'Christ increased in stature, wisdom and in FAVOUR with man and God. 1 Samuel 2:2 describes a similar situation '“And the child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with the LORD and man'. You won't need to struggle for the opportunity to give outlets to the blessings of God, as you walk in them by faith God will single you out for preferential treatment with uncommon frequency. It will gain and gather momentum, it will become progressive. The reason why people struggle to 'make it happen' is because it is not based on the blessing of the Lord. What this means in actual fact is that as you grow and mature, the favour you need to express the blessings will not lag behind, it will not shrink in size, it will match your stature and size, it will be fit for purpose.

“And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” Mark 10:29-30 KJV

The second point I would like to show you, is that high favour and blessings come with persecution, you cannot escape it, it's a law. If you don't know this when it happens you will give up, it will make you question your intentions, you will shrink and be timid (2Timothy 1: 6-7). Nobody likes to be criticised or persecuted (if you do, there is something wrong with you), that is why you need to understand the purpose of the blessings of the Lord, it helps to purify your intentions and stay humble . Persecution comes with the territory, Joseph's brothers misunderstood and envied him. In Genesis 26, Abimelech envied Isaac when the blessings showed through, forgetting that he stayed when others went, David's own brothers thought he was over reaching himself when he wanted to take on Goliath even though they were present when Samuel anointed him (1 Samuel 16 and 17). The Pharisees and scribes could not tolerate the successes of Christ. There is a special persecution that comes when you are truly blessed but, don't be distracted, the problem is with those who envy you (Psalm 119:165, Matthew 5:10-2)As we end this capsule, I want you to consider what it means to be blessed and HIGHLY FAVOURED. Not just favoured but highly favoured, it means for every blessing you have favour that is beyond imagination.

CONCLUSION PERSECUTION WILL COME, BUT THEY CANNOT PUT A BLESSED MAN DOWN.THE BLESSINGS WILL SHINE THROUGH ‭‭PsThere is much more I would have loved to say! We would be looking at the highly contentious BLESSED BEYOND A CURSE from the next capsule. I double guarantee you it will be fun, it will bring so much joy and freedom, so share the link in your Facebook, Twitter etc or write me at femibidowu@gmail.com